Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Guangzhou (Canton) Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Guangzhou (Canton)

😐 Solo nomad: Seoul is 88.3% more expensive than Guangzhou (Canton) without rent, and 103.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Seoul is 101.9% more expensive than Guangzhou (Canton) without rent, and 95.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.57 ₩12.6K
$2.86 ¥19.78
199.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.6 ₩81.4K
$21.99 ¥152
152.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.25 ₩9,151
$4.96 ¥34.31
26.01%
Cappuccino
$3.81 ₩5,582
$3.12 ¥21.59
22.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 ₩2,432
$0.50 ¥3.44
232.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 ₩1,218
$0.30 ¥2.04
176.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.78 ₩5,529
$0.93 ¥6.40
306.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 ₩8,420
$1.62 ¥11.20
254.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.18 ₩3,190
$1.92 ¥13.28
13.54%
White Bread (500g)
$3.46 ₩5,070
$2.01 ¥13.88
72.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.21 ₩4,696
$1.31 ¥9.04
145.04%
Eggs
$3.19 ₩4,669
$1.56 ¥10.75
104.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.37 ₩21.0K
$18.88 ¥130
-23.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.89 ₩15.9K
$4.59 ¥31.72
137.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$34.35 ₩50.3K
$13.90 ¥96.0
147.12%
Apples (1kg)
$7.95 ₩11.6K
$2.04 ¥14.10
289.71%
Banana (1kg)
$3.60 ₩5,278
$1.20 ¥8.32
200.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.53 ₩8,095
$2.00 ¥13.85
176.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.67 ₩9,769
$1.43 ¥9.90
366.43%
Potato (1kg)
$3.96 ₩5,797
$0.94 ¥6.48
321.28%
Onion (1kg)
$2.95 ₩4,324
$1.08 ¥7.47
173.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.54 ₩3,715
$0.52 ¥3.61
388.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 ₩1,880
$0.65 ¥4.46
96.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.29 ₩4,817
$3.78 ¥26.12
-12.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.17 ₩29.5K
$8.79 ¥60.8
129.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 ₩3,544
$1.01 ¥6.97
139.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 ₩4,942
$1.44 ¥9.94
134.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.07 ₩1,565
$0.41 ¥2.81
160.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.79 ₩70.0K
$25.53 ¥176
87.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.49 ₩5,112
$1.62 ¥11.21
115.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.54 ₩791
$0.34 ¥2.38
58.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.08 ₩13.3K
$6.16 ¥42.58
47.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 ₩1,749
$1.16 ¥8.02
2.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K ₩40.7M
$20.6K ¥142.0K
35.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K ₩36.4M
$19.8K ¥137.1K
25.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$163 ₩239.1K
$61.5 ¥425
165.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.22 ₩51.6K
$12.99 ¥89.8
171.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.55 ₩33.0K
$11.40 ¥78.7
97.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.2 ₩83.8K
$42.24 ¥292
35.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.27 ₩34.1K
$13.75 ¥95.0
69.24%
Cinema Ticket
$11.11 ₩16.3K
$6.22 ¥42.99
78.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$406 ₩594.8K
$314 ¥2,168
29.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K ₩33.8M
$16.0K ¥110.4K
44.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.0 ₩86.4K
$40.79 ¥282
44.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.26 ₩69.2K
$28.68 ¥198
64.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.2 ₩114.5K
$69.2 ¥478
13.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 ₩169.9K
$60.8 ¥420
90.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$936 ₩1.4M
$493 ¥3,405
89.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$584 ₩854.7K
$273 ¥1,890
113.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,602 ₩3.8M
$1,160 ¥8,018
124.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,340 ₩2.0M
$623 ¥4,306
114.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$23.1K ₩33.8M
$9,036 ¥62.4K
155.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.8K ₩17.3M
$3,539 ¥24.5K
233.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,136 ₩4.6M
$1,411 ¥9,751
122.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.14
4.08
1.47%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Seoul: March 2, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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